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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Found out he was a MM - Please help

173 replies

keepaway · 05/05/2014 04:02

Hi all,

To cut a long story short, found out a few days ago he was still actually very much married, I cut all contact and haven't returned the numerous calls and texts. Can't talk to anyone in real life about it, feel stupid enough as it is, I was in his home, in his bed, the one he shares with his wife, there were no signs, I feel like an idiot. Finding it really hard not to reply, to ask questions but I know that NC is the best way to show how angry I am and how I won't be part of something like that. Its just really hard, I miss him I just need to stay away.

Please help me stay strong, I never want to see this man again but I know he will try to see me, his voicemails say as much. Sorry I know its short just wanted to keep my fingers busy writing on here rather than text the SOAB!

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 06/05/2014 22:41

Yes it was - but if he knew them as well, probably good to tell them over the weekend as you thought: he'll be wanting to repair himself in their eyes also so may contact them.

BitOutOfPractice · 06/05/2014 22:47

Oh keepaway you're going to go through a whole range of emotions. Anger, dismay, embarrassment, sorrow, regret. Sometimes within the space of five minutes.

I found out something similar about my DP of 5 years (he had been living with another woman while he was working away abroad and had been for nearly a year) and it just feels like you have had the rug tugged out from under your whole life and what you believed to be true. It is so disconcerting.

But you are doing so strong and handling it brilliantly. NC is absolutely the only way to go.

keepaway · 06/05/2014 22:50

I know Talisa, I can't believe it to be honest, the anger is seeing me through, I just feel so sad for his wife, she has to live with the lying sod probably no knowing why he is moping about, if he is that is, he may well be acting perfectly normal at home contrary to what he is emailing

OP posts:
keepaway · 07/05/2014 00:34

BOOP you are right, I feel so much spinning around in my head, but mostly just anger. I think back to all the things that were said and done, I mean we went away for a break for 5 days, he never really snuck away with his phone, or I didn't feel like he was being in any way sneaky? I just don't know, yes the rug being pulled out from under my feet is exactly what it feels like.

OP posts:
Rebecca2014 · 07/05/2014 08:13

He properly had two phones. To get away with it for this long he has had to be very clever and sneaky. I am sure he was loving it! I bet it gave him an right to buzz to be able to lie and get away with it for so long and now the control gone and his panicking.

Do not believe a word he says in emails, he is an liar and a very good one at that. Hopefully there are not too many men like that out there, at least not many manipulative enough to pull it off for so long.

cozietoesie · 07/05/2014 08:27

Part of the problem, keep, is that you trusted him. It's actually pretty easy to fool someone who trusts you - 'I'm just going to the loo, Darling, shall I bring you some coffee on the way back?' And what do you think of it - you don't, is the answer: you think he's going to the loo.......or whatever. You just don't clock these events and that expands to a whole host of activities.

Does that 'trusting' make you a bad person? No, it doesn't. Does it make you a fool? No, of course not.

What it does do is makes the person who takes advantage of it a scumbag.

Hope you're feeling better this morning.

qazxc · 07/05/2014 08:28

He is right about one thing, he is the same person he was last week:
a lying, calculating, cheating twunt.
Do not feel bad about telling anyone in RL, it not your fault. You didn't act badly,he did. And you need the support.

BitOutOfPractice · 07/05/2014 08:29

Keepaway how are you today?

I hope the anger keeps you going. But be prepared. You will feel wobbly. And sad. Accept that and go with it. But don't let it deflect you from your course of NC.

It took me a long time to get to the angry stage. Not sure I ever have to be honest

Thinking of you

Hornchurch01 · 07/05/2014 09:15

OP you are doing so well. I was involved with an mm who promised me the earth, was going to leave (I was married when we met but subsequently ended my marriage, not for mm) but changed his mind. Didn't want to give up his cosy life even after his dw found out everything. Each day of nc is hard, I miss him and have to distract myself to stop myself making contact but I just remind myself I am worth more than the scraps of someone's affection or being someone's dirty little secret. It is bloody hard and it hurts like hell but keep in being strong. Keep on posting, you are doing brilliantly.

TalisaMaegyr · 07/05/2014 14:59

You ok OP?

alabasterangel · 07/05/2014 15:40

I don't normally post on relationships, but really wanted to say something here as I've been through very similar with my exH who pretty much lived a double life with his mistress for well over a year. She had zero clue of my existence (well, she thought he was divorced) and me of hers, until he slipped up. He had brought her to our house, they had shagged in my bed, more than once. He'd gone round hiding photos and so on and claimed any other feminine touches were from when I lived there. I only found out because the fuckwit paid for some flowers for her by card over the phone and the old-fashioned florists posted the receipt to our house, and only put the surname on the envelope not the title. I opened the envelope and there was the receipt, stapled to a copy of the order '30 roses and message "I love you more than words can say, my brave, beautiful girl, love fuckwit xxx' plus (conveniently) her name, and work address, over 60 miles away. I can remember the feeling like concrete in my stomach when I dialled her number, and her reaction. He wasn't home with me that day because he was working miles from home with two overnight stays. Wrong. He wasn't home with me that day because he was on his way to her house, then they were going to a wedding to which they had been invited as a couple. Her friends loved him, thought he was a right charmer, he'd spent nights out and evenings away with her family. He'd even been to Paris with her when I thought he was working in bloody Leeds for 3 days! Seriously, I am an intelligent woman, and he still pulled the wool over my eyes to an astronomical degree.

I was 5dpo after our third round of IVF when I found out. The flowers were, for her, following the termination she'd had the previous week. So literally he took her for a termination one day then came home to me and we went back for the transfer the next day. Neither of us had a CLUE. He was a workaholic, or so we both thought. He had a secret SIM card and phone on which he communicated with her. He told me he had IBS hence having to spend such long sessions on the loo (which was when he was texting her, under the pretence of working in his high flying long hours job). Honestly it was simply unbelievable. I ended up leaving as he refused and the house was in his name. Got a rental flat on a second floor, with an intercom, cut all communication, only dealt with him via a solicitor. I could go on and on and on, what I revealed about him and the extent of his deceit was shocking. I was still finding out stuff months later through other people and not by digging either, things would just come to light.

The fact is that a lot of this isn't actually about YOU (sorry). He's got a massive, massive adrenalin kick from all the lying and skulking about, plotting his next excuse to her, fabricating his next story, concucting his next move. That rush and adrenalin is quite addictive. The getting away with it, the 'winning' at not being caught, that thumping racing heart as his wife walks in the room and he's texting you. He doesn't want to loose you because without you in the game, there is no game. Remove yourself from the game 100%.

It will get better, you will leave this behind, but zero contact all the way. My life now is wonderful.... I hope you are ok and being strong.

cozietoesie · 07/05/2014 15:53

Oh alabaster. Poor, poor you.

BitOutOfPractice · 07/05/2014 15:59

Bloody hell alabaster!

If it's any consolation, you are not the only bright, switched on woman to get conned like this. But I know only too well how it feels...like I must be stupid not to have seen it. But you and the op - and I - are sadly not alone. This incredible ability to lead two lives is not that uncommon sadly.

Glad to hear you are living a happy life. Surely the best revenge. Incidentally so am I and I know the op will too one day

TalisaMaegyr · 07/05/2014 15:59

God alabaster. You poor woman. Congratulations on your wonderful life now Thanks

edamsavestheday · 07/05/2014 16:04

Hey alabaster, that's a terrible story but you can be proud of the way you handled it and what you've done since. Unlike him!

alabasterangel · 07/05/2014 16:09

I'm okay now. Honestly! I have a lovely new DH and we have two much wanted children (with no IVF, some things are just meant to be) and every day I still thank my lucky whatever that I didn't have kids with him, that I didn't have a tie more than a ring and vows, that I could just walk away and hopefully never see his stupid fuckwit face ever again (so far, so good) and OP I hope will do the same. My grannie always gives me those old sayings but they're true. You will look back on this and think 'thank fuck I got out when I did and that we didn't have children' and it won't blight your view of decent men, honestly, despite going through all that crap I never even doubt or mistrust my husband.

Instead of thinking 'why?' think 'phew!' - you had a lucky break op! What an absolute tosser.

cozietoesie · 07/05/2014 16:11

Way to go alabaster. It's so good to hear that.

wannaBe · 07/05/2014 16:27

Alabaster Shock lucky escape indeed. Please tell me the ow cut him dead as wel? tosser.

alabasterangel · 07/05/2014 16:53

Well, actually she did linger about for a while, maybe another month I think, he'd done a proper job on her with his charming ways. She was in a quandary over whether to stay as he'd wheedled into her life so convincingly. Her daughter had just started calling him Dad FFsake!! Her parents told her in the end that they would be disgusted with her if she kept seeing him, I think at that point she too cut strings.

Ironically about a year later another woman turned up at my office asking to see me, she was his new girlfriend. They'd met on a dating site (turned out he'd been a member of several pretty much right through our marriage, my guess after loads more came to light is that he slept with literally dozens of women during our 10 years together, a lot of it hidden by his job, and daily long visits to ailing parents in a nursing home, which he was seldom actually bothering to do). He had given her an implausible story about how his marriage ended which was contradicted by one of his friends in public in front of her, and she then started digging and found lots of lies he was telling her. She turned up to ask me stuff in a right mess, because she'd found another phone and he was cheating on her, and wanted to know if he had form for it. Leopards never change their spots you see! he was up for another 'game' and couldn't just have a normal relationship without the 'thrill of the chase' as well. People like that rarely change. He ended up being diagnosed as having a serious personality disorder, borderline sociopath, which I found out about during the divorce proceedings.

I honestly think that if in this case the op's own tosser has been doing this for 8 months then there is something psychological going on. Either the adrenaline addiction thing, or more seriously a personality disorder or whatever. How can you do that to someone and not be remorseful enough to stop before getting caught? To betray someone who you've obviously loved enough to marry? It's a wonder...

alabasterangel · 07/05/2014 16:55

But obviously I won't even analyse him because it's not worth it, just as long as the Op keeps remembering this is not her, its him....

keepaway · 07/05/2014 18:21

Hi all, sorry for the silence today but had a very busy day at work which I was thankful for, Thanks Talisa and BOOP and all for asking after me, I have maintained complete silence and haven't read anymore emails which are now being directed to another folder!

Alabaster Oh My God, there really are men out there that are capable of such deceit and can hurt the ones they claim they love to such a degree.

It is very hard to not be sucked into contact even if to find out why the hell this was something he chose to do to me and why he now thinks I would ever think its ok, I don't and I won't hence the NC I don't want to be involved with someone's husband, I don't want to be with a man capable of lying so convincingly and I don't want to be the OW, it's not who I am or who I want to be.

Be right back

OP posts:
keepaway · 07/05/2014 18:26

Cozie, rebecca, hornchurch and qazxc, thanks for the kind words also, I am staying strong by the fantastic support received by you all, Alabaster you have strengthened by already strong resolve to maintain NC, I should print your story off and keep it close by so I can refer to it if my brain ever thinks of replying to tell the him exactly what I think of him. I want to maintain complete silence as there actually is no point in wanting answers, they will be more lies I'm sure.

OP posts:
TalisaMaegyr · 07/05/2014 18:55

keepaway I am awed by how strong you'te being. I doubt I would be able to keep such dignity tbh. Keep going, you're doing brilliantly!

TalisaMaegyr · 07/05/2014 18:55

*you're

sadwidow28 · 07/05/2014 18:58

You are certainly not the first, bright, intelligent woman to be taken in by a lying, cheating, adrenaline-driven two-timer.

It has never happened to me, but many years ago, a dear friend's sister suspected her husband was cheating when she found some unexplainable receipts in his suit pocket when she was taking it to the cleaners. He worked so hard - all over the country. She was virtually a single mother to 4 children aged 17 - 9 years. She hired a PI until she ran out of money. Then I and my friend did the following ...... and the balloon went up!

Not only was he cheating, he had another home and WIFE (yes - a bigamist) and another name! Oh, and 2 more children aged 8 and 6.

You are doing so well OP. NC is the only way to go even though you probably want to scream at him and scratch his eyes out. You keep your dignity because you are so much better than he ever deserved. Don't worry about his wife - she is not your problem.

Don't worry about telling your friends. They will rally round because they will have to admit that THEY were fooled by him as well which will raise their anger at him - not you.

You really will come out of this okay. You have just come across one of life's losers! Successful professionally but inadequate at life and genuine relationships.

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